Jordan laughed. “You���re joking, right? Who would fight a war that way?”
Mace replied, “As I said, Mr. Crawford, with the Galactic Union watching, they don’t have a choice. There are a variety of rules that steer the territory being fought over to the Galactic Union. So for them, it’s always win-win. For the smaller species, they get to settle their arguments and live. It’s a screwy system, but apparently most of the galaxy is governed by it.
“My mission here today is to convince you to get on board with this plan. If you’re like me, you have a concern that this is just some Mawga scheme to get all the holdouts out in the open. While that’s possible, I don’t think it’s likely. I would suggest that if we choose to go forward with this, we remain very vigilant of that possibility and take steps to prevent it from happening. Whatever steps we can take, that is.”
Mace stood. “Hold on a minute.”
He left the room, coming back several minutes later wearing a hardened Mawga battlesuit and holding a plasma rifle. “This is what they plan on giving us. It will take a standard round from most of our guns, although high power rounds will penetrate. I’m told one of the plasma rounds from this rifle will kill the occupant, but only the occupant. Anyone standing around them will be spared. One of its drawbacks is an eight second recharge time. According to Mr. Montak, ground wars are rare because of the cost of lives. They tend to like the single-file fights they have in space.”
Jordan stood, looking over the suit and the weapon. “So our M16s won’t penetrate?”
Mace shook his head. “No, but you can certainly give them a beating they won’t forget. I suspect most would turn and run if hit by a couple rounds. And these plasma rifles, they aren’t accurate. The plasma burst will follow ionized currents in the air. Makes it difficult to hit anyone at more than thirty yards. And with an eight second recharge, well, I can’t say it would be my first weapon of choice.”
Jordan asked, “Are these rifles the result of another one of those galactic rules?”
Mace smiled. “Good question. I can tell you this: I think the Mawga want us on their side for intimidation as much as anything. If the Kaachi knew they’d be fighting big Humans, they might not even show up. At least that’s the impression I got.”
Mace sat, laying the weapon on the table. “Pick it up and play with it if you want. The charger’s not turned on.”
Jordan reached out, pulling the weapon up with one hand. “It’s light.”
Mace laughed. “Has to be. The Mawga only weigh fifty pounds. Put a ten pound rifle in their hands and they’d be falling over. Mr. Crawford, they claim to want to put us on their ships. If they are foolish enough to do that, who’s to say we don’t one day have a little coup and space the lot of them.”
Jordan laid the plasma rifle on the table, shoving it toward David. “Now you’re talking my language, Mr. Hardy. I think those little gray possums are���”
Mace interrupted. “Rats. We call them rats.”
Jordan smiled. “OK, those little gray rats are responsible for the interference that started all this. You know it. I know it. I’m for anything that moves them on their way. And I think most of us would be.”
Mace shook his head. “We can’t make this be about kicking them out. This has to first be an alliance. If their motives are true, we’ll come out on top. If not, we’ll be in a better position to take care of things. However, if the Kaachi are coming, we need this alliance to work. So we have to go into it full bore, but with an eye on a possible exit if things go south.”
Mace tapped his hand on the table. “Mr. Crawford ��� I take it you’re offering support. If this is to work, I’ll need to convince a lot of others. This might take days, or weeks or months, to put together. I need you to remain quiet on this one while I work the rounds. I probably have a hundred visits like this to make before a decision can be made.”
Jordan stood, holding out his hand. “You have my full support, Mr. Hardy. And the men and women of this compound have complete faith in my decisions. If I go, they will follow. You can count us in. Your army just grew by eighty-two volunteers. And that number can easily be doubled by the surrounding community that’s still here.”
The shuttle departed and was soon landing in Charleston, West Virginia. After a long talk with Sergeant Jack Holmes, the Charleston group was aboard.
When the shuttle lifted, Mace was sitting with a smile. “Mr. Montak, that’s two down and a few hundred to go.”
The five landings that followed did not go as planned. The free leaders of each holdout group were skeptical of the Mawga. They had no desire to team up with a species they believed to be enslaving their world. After a pep talk from both Bontu and David, Mace vowed to get back on the winning track. His confidence was soon shaken by another three rejections.
“Mr. Montak, I don’t think this is going well. Word is spreading for a rejection vote. The groups are talking and that word is ‘don’t join.��� The last two asked that all Humans be taken off the drug. After that, a joint operation could be discussed. I think we’ve already lost all momentum from the first two signups.”
Bontu replied, “Perhaps a word from your president would help. I can arrange to have a broadcast sent out to all comms with a message of the importance of this alliance.”
Mace shook his head. “Don’t think that would work. In fact, would probably work against us. Any word from our counterparts in the U.K., Canada, or Australia?”
Bontu sighed. “I’m afraid the results there are equally as bad, Mr. Hardy. It seems those who would argue against us have won the day.”
Mace thought as he stroked his beard. “We haven’t lost yet, Mr. Montak. I say we take our small contingent of supporters, outfit and train them, and get us on one of those cruisers. How many does it take to crew one of those ships?”
Bontu replied, “One hundred twenty-four.”
Mace asked, “Is that the minimum?”
Bontu pulled up an information display on the wall. “Many of those positions are redundant. I suppose you could fully man one of the cruisers with say… a crew of sixty?”
Mace smiled. “Now we’re talking numbers that are doable. OK, here’s what we do. We train up a force to man one of those cruisers. And when I say man I mean completely man. We have to have a crew of all Humans and no Mawga. We show these other holdouts that you are sincere in your alliance request. Is that something that’s possible?”
Montak returned an uneasy look. “I don’t know if the admiral is willing to completely give up one of his ships, Mr. Hardy. We were suggesting a joint crew with the alliance.”
Mace sat back in his chair. “And there you have it, Mr. Montak. You don’t trust Humans either. So I’m going to up my request. Train our people in the complete operation of your cruisers, and when we have two crews fully trained, you’ll turn over not one, but two cruisers to us. You make that happen, and none of our holdouts can question your authenticity.”
Montak took in a deep breath. “What you are asking will be a difficult sell to the admiral, Mr. Hardy.”
David said, “He’s right, Mr. Montak. If you want an alliance, you have to show trust. A single ship would show you have some level of interest. Two ships would show you are serious. And as Mr. Hardy says, they have to be 100 percent piloted and manned by Humans. Give us a full stake in this game and you’ll find the support you’re looking for.”
Montak gazed for several seconds at the two Humans sitting in front of him. “My first reaction is to say no. And for that reason I will put this request to the admiral. If I have a difficult time with this, it shows that I am biased. And no true alliance can stand with that level of mistrust between its partners. Both sides must be willing to share the responsibilities, the workloads, and the burdens. I will pitch your request to the admiral, Mr. Hardy, and I will be seeking your assistance in doing so. I would ask that you convince him of the merits of this request, just as you have now convinced me.”
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sp; Mace nodded. “Take us there, Mr. Montak.”
Mace turned to David Yancy. “Looks like you get your ride into space after all, David. Let’s head out to the catwalk where you get the full view.”
Montak stood. “Gentlemen, I shall set up our meeting with the admiral.”
Mace leaned on the rail beside the astronomer. “This will probably be better than you could dream of, David. My body was shaking the whole ride out last time. First, the curvature of the Earth quickly becomes apparent. Then you get a good sense of just how thin our atmosphere is. The blackness of space will throw your senses into a spin. And finally, a shrinking view of the Earth will make half your brain wish your feet were still on the ground.”
“I’m an astronomer, Mr. Hardy���Mace. I’ve witnessed some astounding sights in my time in this field.”
Mace smirked. “Not like this, you haven’t. Just be prepared to be wowed is all I’m saying.”
The diplomatic vessel shot skyward. As altitude was gained, the edges of the horizon fell off.
David said, “Wow. Now that is breathtaking.”
Seconds later, the darkness of the surrounding space enveloped the ship, bringing the billions of stars into view. “Oh, wow.”
As the Earth shrank away, Mace glanced down at David’s arms. “Goosebumps? Is it getting cold up here?”
David slowly shook his head. “How surreal is this? Slipping along at a tremendous speed, the void and utter cold of space only inches away from us. You were right, Mace, this is more than I could have imagined. It’s almost sensory overload.”
Mace laughed. “Not sure how you’ll react as we approach the cruiser. To me, it was every bit as unbelievable. Majestic really. Better than anything I’ve seen in the movies, because it���s right there, looming large in front of your face.”
David was equally as wowed. The trio exited the docked vessel and made their way down the long halls to the admiral’s private office just off the bridge.
As they entered, the heavy Mawga stood.
Mace said, “Hello again, Fatso.”
David said under his breath. “That was kind of rude. Did I miss something?”
Mace laughed. “No that’s his actual name.”
The admiral bowed. “Welcome, Mr. Hardy. I was not expecting a repeat visit so soon. Mr. Montak filled me in on your request. I can’t say that I can agree to that at this time.”
Mace held up his hand. “I’m not suggesting an immediate turnover of two of your ships, Admiral. We’ll need time to train, time to prove that our running those ships would not be a mistake. Our goal here is to be allies, am I not correct?”
“Well, yes.”
Mace crossed his arms. “Then we have to get over this mistrust of each other. Look, if when we go through this training, if you feel our command of the two ships lessens your force, just pull the plug. We’re here to enhance our ability to defend this planet.
“If you’re just trying to be politically correct by giving us two ships as a gesture, what good does that do either of us? So train us, give us a shot at our own commands, and help us to do things like build repair facilities so that together we can maintain these ships and keep them in top fighting order. If these Kaachi are coming as you believe, we need to be the best prepared as we can be. Anything less and we’re giving advantage to the enemy.”
The admiral began to pace the floor with his hands clasped behind his back. “My best judgment says no, Mr. Hardy. However, your statements have reason. I will grant your request. If at any time I believe our readiness and ability to fight has been or will be compromised, I will pull the plug, as you say, on this whole affair.
“But make no mistake, Mr. Hardy, I will be a hard taskmaster and judge. The safety of this fleet and this territory has been entrusted to my care by the Emperor. I should not want to let him down.”
Chapter 24
*
The chancellor’s ship hovered just off the ground in the D-Day Memorial parking lot in Bedford, Virginia. Two large ramps stretched out into a field normally used for overflow parking and other events. Fifty-seven volunteers helped with the unpacking of crates.
Mace stood in front of a group of ten. “This is the hardened suit the Mawga wear. They call it a bulfa. It will stop a 0.762 round, but the wearer will still get knocked about and bruised. Of bigger concern when fighting against our potential opponents, the Kaachi, is a plasma round.
“This rifle shoots out a plasma charge that remains intact in a gravity well out to several hundred yards. It’s not highly accurate, and from these rifles, the shot moves at about half the speed of a bullet. At full range, you might actually have a moment to react if you see one coming, but don’t count on that. Again, the weapon is not highly accurate. At full range, you can easily miss by several yards���something to do with ionized currents pulling the charge one way or another.
“The second-line Mawga weapon is the kitna. To them it’s a sword. To us it’s a very short sword. I would recommend getting something bigger, but it was pointed out to me that the kitna would be most useful during combat on a ship. Blasting away while inside a ship in space is not always a good idea. So, for the time being, we’ll be training with the kitna.
“Now, in our dealings with Fatso, we agreed to be every bit as effective as his own troops. So we need to train, and we need to impress. Our mission here is every bit as serious as if we were going into war tomorrow. We have to show our competence and our commitment. This will be hard work. Anyone who thinks this might not be for you, please excuse yourself now. No one will question your reasons.”
The group of ten Army reservists stood at the ready.
Mace nodded. “Good. This is Antic Rooga. He will be instructing us in the benefits of the bulfa as well as the use of the kitna. You will want to become familiar with all aspects of each. When Mr. Rooga begins his instruction, you will be expected to practice what you learn and to master it.”
Antic Rooga interrupted: “It’s Miss Rooga.”
The Mawga female removed her helmet. The long whiskers surrounding her pink nose were the only indication of her gender.
Mace nodded. “My apologies. Miss Rooga will be your instructor for the day. Pay close attention, do precisely as she says. You ten will be the initial trainers of others. So get it right, and get it quick.”
Mace turned the group over to Antic.
The female Mawga soldier dove forward into a roll, following up with a stand and a hard upward thrust.
“Gentlemen. Let me begin by saying I am a Marklet. In our military, a Marklet is someone who has mastered a weapon, or in some cases a tactic. For me it is the kitna. Today, you will learn its balance, its weight, and its best uses.
“As warriors, we do not hack and slash, we strike with the point. A precise thrust into a vulnerable joint is where this weapon is effective. As part of your training, you will learn and know every vulnerable point on a bulfa. The Kaachi fight with a similar suit, only differing in its shape for their bodies, and its color, as the color of their empire differs from ours.”
Mace walked over to Jordan Crawford. “Fifty-seven?”
Jordan nodded. “When the word got out that most units were turning down the offer, support really dried up. I lost a quarter of my men, and most from the surrounding community. Not sure who was in charge of the effort to stop this alliance, but their sales campaign was compelling. I only stayed because I believe in what you’ve done so far, Mr. Hardy. And if we can get full control of two of their warships, we might just be able to apply some Human ingenuity to them, kicking them up a notch.”
Mace stood with his arms crossed. “Personally, I think if we had control of two of those ships, we could annihilate the rest. The Mawga are extremely restricted by a set of rules they must follow. We don’t have those restrictions. But please don’t make mention of that to anyone. I want the Mawga to feel secure in their trust of us. After all, for at least a while, we will be allies.”
Another
stop was made in Charleston. Of the prior estimates of one hundred thirty volunteers, only eight accepted the challenge. Jack Holmes was not among them, instead choosing to stay with his commander in an attempt to turn him. His attempts to date had been rebuffed.
Once the recruits had been taken to Bedford, Mace returned to the ship with David and Bontu.
“Chancellor, how are our friends in Canada and overseas doing?”
Bontu frowned. “Not much better. Between the three, they have a force near equal in size to yours.”
Mace leaned onto the rail of the catwalk as he watched the Charleston volunteers thrusting their kitnas. “What are the chances we can bring us all together in one place? If that’s all the force we have to work with, we’ll all have to work together. We might as well train together.”
Bontu nodded. “I would agree. Would your people be willing to travel? The British have full use of a military base with a bomb range. When receiving training on the cruisers, that might come in handy.”
Mace stood straight. “Are we looking at the potential for ground fighting with the Kaachi?”
Bontu turned toward the conference room. “Come with me, Mr. Hardy. I have recordings of ground assaults. They can be quite deadly for all involved. The Kaachi have been known to conduct ground campaigns. We try to steer clear of any such maneuvers, as they are costly in lives.”
Mace said, “Wait, you implied battles were fought in space. If that’s not the case, maybe we should fold in some ground training as well.”
Bontu sat, bringing up a display on the wall in front of them. “The Kaachi can be unpredictable, Mr. Hardy. In the campaign I’m about to show you, they defeated a small fleet and then chose to attack the colony we had established, before negotiating for its surrender, as is customary. As it turned out, it was a mistake on their part, and one for which they paid dearly. Twelve hundred Kaachi fighters were captured. Their lives were traded for rights to the embattled territory. The Kaachi collected their people and left.”
HADRON Axiom Page 22